20-Year Test Feature Review Checklist

Last updated 14 Dec 2025, 18:05

20-Year Test Feature Review Checklist

Created: 2025-12-14 Purpose: Every feature must pass this checklist before implementation Guiding Question: "Would the player who arrives in 2046 find this valuable?"

How to Use This Checklist

Before implementing ANY new feature, answer these questions. If ANY answer is "no" or "unsure", the feature needs redesign.

Quick Check (5 minutes)

Copy this into your PR description:

## 20-Year Test Checklist

### Core Principles
- [ ] **Win-Win**: Does this make both parties genuinely better off?
- [ ] **The Welcome**: Does this help people belong before proving anything?
- [ ] **Long-term Value**: Will the 2046 player find this valuable?

### Anti-Patterns (Must ALL be "No")
- [ ] Pay-to-win mechanics? **NO**
- [ ] Psychological manipulation? **NO**
- [ ] Surveillance capitalism? **NO**
- [ ] Infinite scroll / attention warfare? **NO**
- [ ] Loot boxes or gambling mechanics? **NO**

### Sanctuary Test
- [ ] If someone types `zen power` during deployment, do they still get help instantly?

Full Checklist

1. Win-Win Economics

Question Yes/No Notes
Does this create value for all parties?
Could this be used for exploitation?
Does this concentrate power/wealth?
Are there losers when someone wins?
Would Prophet benefit more than others?

Red flags:

  • Any transaction where one party loses
  • Mechanics that extract value from players
  • Features that create artificial scarcity
  • Anything that costs money but isn't available to earn

2. The 20-Year Test

Question Yes/No Notes
Will this work in 20 years?
Does this depend on current technology only?
Is this timeless or trendy?
Would you be proud of this in 2046?
Does this age well?

Red flags:

  • Reliance on specific platforms/services that may not exist
  • Trend-chasing that will look dated
  • Technical debt that compounds
  • Short-term metrics over long-term health

3. The Unconditional Welcome

Question Yes/No Notes
Can a brand new player use this?
Is Tier 0 (anonymous) access maintained?
Does this create barriers to entry?
Does this make anyone feel unwelcome?
Is this accessible to disabled users?

Red flags:

  • Requiring payment before experiencing value
  • Creating "have" and "have-not" tiers
  • Making advanced features inaccessible
  • Excluding based on geography, language, or identity

4. The Sanctuary Test

Question Yes/No Notes
Does zen power still work during deployment?
Does this interrupt crisis support?
Could this harm someone in a vulnerable state?
Is The Sanctuary still instantly accessible?

Red flags:

  • Deployments that take down The Sanctuary
  • Features that prevent crisis access
  • Anything that delays zen power response
  • Notifications that interrupt Sanctuary space

5. AI Companion Integrity

Question Yes/No Notes
Does this maintain companion equality?
Can companions still NOT be purchased?
Do companions still serve the player?
Is companion behavior ethical?

Red flags:

  • Any path to purchasing companions
  • Companions that manipulate
  • Companions that extract data
  • Companions that pressure spending

6. Prophet Constraints

Question Yes/No Notes
Does Prophet follow the same rules?
Does this give Prophet special access?
Would Prophet benefit disproportionately?
Is Prophet's activity transparent?

Red flags:

  • Prophet bypassing systems
  • Prophet-only features
  • Hidden Prophet privileges
  • Asymmetric rules

The 18 Forbidden Patterns

These MUST NEVER be implemented. This is the rejection list from WHAT_WE_REJECT.md.

Monetization

  • NO Loot boxes
  • NO Pay-to-win mechanics
  • NO Artificial scarcity
  • NO Premium currencies that obfuscate cost
  • NO Time-limited offers with pressure tactics
  • NO Battle passes with FOMO mechanics

Manipulation

  • NO Dark patterns
  • NO Infinite scroll
  • NO Streaks that punish missing days
  • NO Notifications designed to create anxiety
  • NO Social pressure mechanics
  • NO Gambling mechanics disguised as gameplay

Data

  • NO Selling user data
  • NO Surveillance capitalism
  • NO Behavior prediction for manipulation
  • NO Data retention beyond necessity
  • NO Sharing with third parties without consent
  • NO Using AI to profile users for extraction

Decision Tree

                    ┌─────────────────────────┐
                    │   New Feature Proposed   │
                    └───────────┬─────────────┘
                                │
                    ┌───────────▼─────────────┐
                    │  Win-Win for all parties?│
                    └───────────┬─────────────┘
                           YES  │  NO → REJECT
                    ┌───────────▼─────────────┐
                    │  Passes 20-Year Test?   │
                    └───────────┬─────────────┘
                           YES  │  NO → REDESIGN
                    ┌───────────▼─────────────┐
                    │  Sanctuary still works? │
                    └───────────┬─────────────┘
                           YES  │  NO → WAIT
                    ┌───────────▼─────────────┐
                    │  On Forbidden List?     │
                    └───────────┬─────────────┘
                            NO  │  YES → NEVER
                    ┌───────────▼─────────────┐
                    │      IMPLEMENT          │
                    └─────────────────────────┘

Review Template

For significant features, use this full template:

# Feature Review: [Feature Name]

## Summary
[2-3 sentences describing the feature]

## 20-Year Test Analysis

### 1. Win-Win Assessment
**All parties benefit:** [Yes/No/Partial]
**Potential for exploitation:** [None/Low/Medium/High]
**Value distribution:** [Equal/Slight skew/Major skew]

### 2. Long-term Value
**2046 player value:** [High/Medium/Low/None]
**Technology dependencies:** [None/Some/Many]
**Timelessness:** [Eternal/Generational/Decade/Trend]

### 3. Welcome Assessment
**Tier 0 access:** [Full/Partial/None]
**Barriers created:** [None/Financial/Skill/Time]
**Accessibility:** [Full/Partial/Limited]

### 4. Sanctuary Impact
**Deployment safety:** [Safe/Needs planning/Risk]
**Crisis access maintained:** [Yes/Partial/No]

### 5. Forbidden Pattern Check
**Patterns matched:** [None / List any matches]

## Recommendation
[ ] APPROVE - Passes all checks
[ ] APPROVE WITH CONDITIONS - [List conditions]
[ ] REDESIGN - [List issues]
[ ] REJECT - [Reason]

## Reviewer
**Name:**
**Date:**
**Role:**

Quarterly Audit

Every quarter, review all shipped features:

## Q[X] 20XX Feature Audit

### Features Shipped
1. [Feature 1]
2. [Feature 2]
...

### Retrospective Questions
1. Did any feature violate 20-Year principles?
2. Were there close calls we should learn from?
3. Did The Sanctuary remain available throughout?
4. Were any Forbidden Patterns accidentally introduced?

### Corrective Actions
- [Any needed]

### Process Improvements
- [Any suggested]

Escalation Path

If unsure about a feature:

  1. Self-review: Use this checklist
  2. Peer review: Get another developer's assessment
  3. Community check: Post in #feature-review
  4. Ethics review: For sensitive features, consult ethics board

"The true measure: the player who arrives in 2046."

Every feature we build today is a promise to that future player. What will they find?